As a result of your generosity , we were able to provide meals to the homeless via the Night Ministry ($2,036); and support community organizations such as the Lake View Pantry, RefugeeOne, Sit Stay Read, CAIR, Legal Assistance Foundation (LAF), Alexian Brothers Housing and Health Alliance, Jane Addams Senior Caucus, etc. with $8,355. In addition, we contributed $4,807 to the UUA and Mid America Region; and $1,000 in dues to 3 community organizations: ONE Northside, Community Renewal Society and the Chicago Council of Welcoming Churches. The Board and Rev. Robersmith allocated $500 to Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism ("BLUU") at our May board meeting. Donations to the Minister's Discretionary Fund (to help members & friends in need) were $2,323. It should be noted that our support for the UUA is well below the recommended Fair Share amount and for the year just ended we paid only 29% of Fair Share.

The July 11 board meeting allocated up to $8,405 of the surplus towards our Interim Minister's moving expenses which are in our contract with Rev. Jennie Barrington. We also allocated the full 20% of rental income from January 1 ($3,089) to the Building Fund. The Finance Committee and Board also discussed the expected need to use an extra $400 - 1,000 for the Beloved Conversations program this fall vs the $1,000 we had expected. And, we have been advised that search expenses for a settled minister will likely range between $10,000 and $15,000 over the next two years. So, there is no shortage of uses for additional funds.

We would also like to point out that our June installation of air conditioning in the sanctuary and Palmer Room was made possible thanks in large part to an anonymous donor who generously gave $24,000 for the project. A second anonymous donor also contributed $4,500 and directed the gift to a number of uses. Many thanks!

We continue to maintain satisfactory reserves in our bank account and are above the minimum level desired of 6 weeks of budgeted expenses. Let's keep up the good work - there is much to be done!

Hi Book Lovers,

Here's a newish book you may want to check out of our library.

The World as It Is, by Chris Hedges.

I have an ongoing discussion with my sister-in-law. She believes that the world is becoming better and better. I ask her periodically if that is still her answer. Hodges wrote this in 2011 and you can follow him and others in www.truthdig.com today in answering that question. Booklist, a reviewing source that librarians use said Hodges "analyzes politics, economics, health-care, reform, the environment, and foreign policy...and critiques policies favoring corporations over citizens." The book, published by Nation, is 352 pages. But book length isn't that important if the message or the content is important and interesting.

When I think of a leader, I think of someone who has a magnetism that influences another to follow. This person doesn't necessarily need to be a boss, a religious leader, a state or national government official, or a professor/teacher.  There are many types and levels of leadership. Leadership does not have to begin in a huge capacity. It can begin by a small act. For instance, my first leadership role was a small one-in high school. A classmate's father had died, and I organized the class communication of our sympathy. We not only sent a card, we attended the funeral.

You may be a beginner leader and not even realize it. Or you might be a leader within a group bringing in new ideas or acts of kindness. On a study tour to Europe, I engaged in a conversation which essentially complained about our tour guide's leadership. One of the women listened for a moment, then walked away. Her act led me to walk away too from that complaining session. I still remember her example and try not to complain about a person to whom I haven't first spoken with directly.

Having been a part of the Leadership Development and Nominating Committee for several years, I have observed some good 2U leaders. These have been folks involved in various committees including but not limited to Hospitality, Finance, Religious education, Board of Trustees, and Leadership Development and Nominating Committee. I decided to ask several of these leaders their opinions on leadership. Because some opted for anonymity, I decided to keep all responses anonymous. I sent the following questions to over 20 people; 7 responded.

1) What is a great leader?

2) Do you see yourself as a great leader? Why, if yes/ Why not, if no.

3) Are there areas of leadership that you'd like to improve in your development?

4) Common mistakes that leaders make.

5) Why do you think folks are hesitant to be leaders?

A Great Leader Is:

• Is one who knows how to move an organization forward to its goals without (or a minimum of) antagonizing the members of the organization.
• Is one who knows the vision, the collective goal, and how to tell if it has been reached.
• Is one who captures multiple views from a representative sample, find the wisdom and truth in the various perspectives, then create and articulate a path forward, adjust the plan as necessary, and rally everyone to the cause.  
• Is one who can persuade those whose ideas aren't wholly integrated that their ideas are nonetheless valuable and were instrumental in developing the way.
• Is one who is especially knowledgeable and understands the nuances and particulars of the situation.
• Is one who is compassionate and firm, collaborative and decisive.
• Is one who has boundless energy and focus.
• Is one who is reflective and honest.
• Is one who helps other people accomplish mutual goals, and who helps people be the best they can be on the way.
• Is one who can articulate the vision and values of an organization to its stakeholder, and ensure the stakeholders support the vision and values and enable their successful implementation in the organization.
• Is one who has the sensitivity to know her/his strengths and is able to invite advice/guidance on areas of weakness or unpreparedness.
• Is one who can admit mistakes, but dares to go on without giving up or withdrawing.
• Is one who is grounded in themselves and in their positivity and confidence, and that confidence radiates out to others.
• Is one who has followers who feel empowered by that leader to be their best selves and do things that they might not have thought possible without the leader.
• Is one who is good at listening and helping to communicate a vision and mission for the greater community that people feel engaged and passionate about.
• Is one who spends as much time asking questions as telling people their own perspectives.

You, a Great Leader:

• I think I am a good/very good leader, primarily because in past leadership positions I've been told that I am. While some leadership skills can be taught, it takes a certain amount of empathy for a person to become a great leader. If one listens carefully, and observes thoughtfully throughout their career, to all people in all situations, the skills to become a leader will be presented to you.
• I think I have done a good job in several roles. In each of these roles, I was motivated by a singular purpose that helped guide my efforts. I learned through leading to be sympathetic to those who are willing to lead and to support them in their efforts by saying "yes" when asked and by serving as a sounding board.
• I think I'm a good leader. "Great leader" seems too grand a phrase to say about oneself.
• My wife says yes, but I am less certain. Why she says I'm good? Because I'm good at moving the ball forward.
• No, I cannot say I'm a great leader because I tend to do the job at hand, instead of delegating or waiting for others to join in the task at hand.
• Yes, depending on the situation. I enjoy working in a team, recognizing the strengths of team members, and driving the group toward goals.
• Sometimes I have been a good leader when I have offered my talents and treasures to efforts that help others. At times I have not been a leader when I have shirked responsibility or not had the patience to understand and accept the perspectives and wants of others.

Any Areas of Leadership I'd Like to Develop:

• There certainly are-always.
• I would like to improve my public-speaking skills and learn more about the use of social media as an effective communications tool.
• I'm always interested in strategies to reach goals with less time spent spinning wheels.
• I've had various leadership positions in my career and during my retirement. While I'm still listening and observing, I think is it time to focus on the skills of those starting their careers.
• Delegate, Delegate, Delegate and have faith that it will get done.
• I get irritable in stressful situations or when I'm burned out. It's getting better.
• Communication and listening are always areas that can be improved. Also finding ways to truly empower others by understanding them better would make me a better leader.

Common Mistakes Leaders Make:

• They don't communicate or communicate well, to the stakeholders in the organization. Too often excuses are made about the reasons not to communicate: the topic is too complicated, you may scare people, they won't understand and may receive the news negatively, etc. All that is bull! Communication must be thoughtful to ensure there isn't unwanted results, but communicating continually is key to a successful organization.
• They don't have communication channels developed throughout the organization so that information can not only flow down and across but also UP.
• They are not completely honest to stakeholders about a situation the organization may face. I believe it takes all stakeholders to solve a problem. If you aren't honest, you quickly lose their support.
• They get distracted from the project in front of them by wandering off on tangents.
• One of the great challenges of leadership is to tease out of a person's story or position the underlying truth of that story and/or the reason for the position. It's hard to know sometimes why people believe what they believe, and this leads to misunderstandings. It's easy for leaders to make mistakes because there's incomplete or imperfect information. It's difficult to communicate effectively with an audience that's hard to reach and often inattentive. A common mistake is to give more weight to the opinion that's expressed the most loudly and to overlook or misunderstand those who are quiet.
• They forget to let other people make decisions, and they feel that they must figure it out themselves.
• They are impatient and just want to get the job done, so they do it. Others feel they aren't valued and stop being involved.
• They get so caught in their vision that they aren't willing to listen to other options and therefore collaborate.
• Often leaders are so focused on where they want to go that they forget to discern where others are. They also can sometimes be too slow in identifying the critical mass of a community and don't articulate the vision well enough to bring people along to take actions towards change. Sometimes they don't proactively communicate a vision in a way that people can also see.

Reasons Why There Is Hesitation to Accept Leadership:

• It's a lot of work, responsibility, and pressure, and some take to it more naturally than others. Frankly, I think it is more important that we spend our resources on developing team players who can excel in an area and work with others well to be successful. We need a lot more excellent team players and project managers than leaders.
• People don't see themselves as looking like what they think leaders look like. They don't see leadership as a shared task, and they're afraid of being stuck in a role forever.
• It can be embarrassing if you fail. It can result in people not liking you. It is a lot of work.
• People feel they aren't ready yet. They need more training or a better background before assuming a leadership position. They worry, what if nobody follows me, when I say, "Let's go..."
• People are hesitant to lead because it's a very time-consuming effort. It's demanding and exhausting and there are a lot of things that can go wrong! I think that people often feel ill-equipped to lead, that they feel that they lack the skills. It's scary to be "the decider". But, leading at a place such as 2U is an unbelievably rewarding experience. People are supportive and appreciative and forgiving. We're almost always working with a common purpose. We listen to one another and assume the best of one another.
• People are afraid of burning out with too much responsibility.
• I think human beings have challenges often times in trusting leaders and building good followership. Leaders are often criticized and are lightning rods for conflict. It sometimes feels like a huge responsibility that is not always appreciated by others. Sometimes people make it into a bigger deal in their minds than it actually is. If the community at large communicated that every leader just needs to do their best and provided positive reinforcement and appreciation when leaders do the work and compassion when they make mistakes, perhaps people would feel better about it.

This discussion can go forward with your viewpoints on leadership. Perhaps you'll address different questions.

Are you a leader? Do you want to become one? Think of a forgotten kite fluttering on the ground. You can walk by and forget about it or pick up the kite's string and run with it. As you run, you'll watch it soar higher and higher. You and the kite are aloft. Watch for the next fluttering kite moment and pick up the string.

Further Reading from the 2U Library Collection (Note Call #)

Arnold, Jeffrey and Herb Miller. Starting Small Groups: Building Communities that Matter.  253.7 ARN

Hollister, William. Group Participation Methods. 301.14 HOL

Knight, Shauna Aura. The Leader Within: Articles on Community Building, Leadership, and Personal Growth. 291 KNI

Wikstrom, Erik. Serving with Grace: Lay Leadership as a Spiritual Practice. 253 WIK